Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2002 22:30:06 -0600
From: Tiffany Senterfitt
Subject: I Love You, My Friend- Ch 1
Title: I Love You, My Friend- Ch 1
By: ForMySaniT
(lesbian, romance)
(Disclaimer: This is a story describing the evolution of a friendship
between two women into a deeper bond. If a romantic relationship of that
nature offends you, I recommend that you stop reading now. Although, if you
are like me, you'll say, "Viva, femme/femme!")
The fifteen-year-old glanced over to her dresser. The pictures lining the
mirror atop it made her pause. She stared at the picture in the corner with
a smile across her lips. Two little girls in colorful swimsuits smiled at
the camera with burnt red faces. That seemed so long ago. In truth, it had
only been ten years.
A phone call from her grandmother one week previous had changed
everything. Her grandmother had told her that she was going to see this old
childhood friend, who had - much to her heartache at the time- moved away
when she had only been seven. So many years had passed.
Would they recognize each other? Would they have anything in common? Or
would this simply be one of many reminders that with time comes change?
"Christene," she heard her mother call from down the hall. "You need to
hurry or we will be late."
Christene sighed. She took one last look over her appearance in the
mirror.
Dark, brown eyes which bordered on black usually seemed more sure of
themselves than they did at this moment. Her cinnamon skin was aglow
despite the butterflies running rampant through her stomach. Her full lips
curled into her trademark mischievous smirk as she looked down at the
clothes that garbed her petite athletic body. The jeans which hugged her
curvaceous form never failed to get her noticed while the small white
t-shirt that housed her busty chest made an impression in its own
right. She stared at her long dark brown hair. The time that she had spent
this summer in the sun had, as was the case every year, brought out the
rusty highlights inherited from her father. She debated throwing it up into
a cap, but decided against it and opted for the simple hair clip.
Christene was always considered a beautiful child with an impish quality
that had later grown up into a fiery young lady. For a brief time, she
wondered if her old friend would see her as attractive or if she was giving
this all way too much thought.
"Tiffany Christene, if we are late because- "
With a groan, the teenager sat down on her bed to pull on her black
leather boots. "I'm coming, Mom. Geez, have a little patience!"
Christene's mother peeked into her daughter's room. Maria shook her head
at the leather boots. Since her daughter had seen some woman wearing them
on a motorcycle, she had not been able to get them or the idea of anything
Harley Davidson-related out of her rebellious daughter's head. "Patience,
Mija, is not something that runs in our family," she smirked.
A giggled laugh bubbled out of the teen. "Tell me about it. Why do you
think I had such a hard time learning it?"
Maria's olive-skinned face lit up with laughter. "Move it, Mija! I don't
want to be late."
"Hold your horses, woman," Christene sighed wearily. "I'm coming." She
scooped her sunglasses from off the bed then hurried to the car with her
mother.
Together, the women drove towards their friends' newly purchased
home. Christene wondered why her little sister had not been made to come to
this little gathering, but then her little sister had made other plans
previously. Besides the entire point of this little get-together was so
that Maria could see her childhood friend, Gloria. It was that old
friendship spanning some twenty-plus years that had given way to the
friendship between their daughters born one year apart. They had always
done everything together, giving birth just proved yet another
thing. Maria's first born, Tiffany Christene and Gloria's first and only
child, Christine Elisabeth, were sort of destined to be best friends. It
was in their blood.
Arriving at the Dallas home proved to be a joy, when Christene and her
mother found two women waiting to greet them with open arms.
Gloria was a beautiful Latin woman in her mid-thirties. Her long black
hair framed her delicate face and catlike hazel eyes. She smiled warmly,
hugging her old friend while pressing her slender body to her in a tender
embrace. "Maria, I've missed you so much!"
Maria used her shorter chubby frame to lift her smaller friend slightly
off the ground. "I missed you, too, Glory!"
Christene made her way to the sixteen-year-old standing beautifully on the
porch wearing a white tank top and a summery yellow skirt with tiny flowers
embroidered in it. The short skirt showed off the taller teens long
athletic legs. Her legs were crossed at the ankles while her lean tan arms
were crossed over her firm breasts. She watched as her old friend pushed
off the rail that she had been leaning on to come join the women greeting
one, another.
"You look good, Shorty," Elisabeth said looking her young friend over
approvingly with intense hazel-green eyes.
Christene struggled not to arch her eyebrow too much with the hated
nickname. At only 5'3, the fifteen-year-old was very sensitive about her
height. She always had been which was precisely the reason that her old
friend had called her, that. "And I see that you have finally grown into
that body of yours," she said motioning over the tall girl's physique.
"Smartass," Elisabeth breathed with a brilliant smile touching her
lips. She took hold of the younger girl's wrist pulling her into her
embrace. "Come here, C."
Christene hugged her friend tightly, breathing in that familiar scent of
her hair. "It's good to see you, love."
Backing away to see her friend, Elisabeth cupped the younger girl's
face. She gave a warm smile while looking deep into dark brown eyes. "It's
good to see you, too."
Elisabeth tore her eyes away from Christene's. She hooked her arm around
her best friend's arm and led the way into the cool air-conditioned
house. It wasn't long after the polite small talk that the teenagers
drifted away from the other's going up to Elisabeth's bedroom.
Upon entering Elisabeth's bedroom, Christene had this odd feeling that
consumed her. Why was she so excited about being alone here with her
childhood friend? The young woman beckoning for her to join her on the bed,
only furthered her feeling of nervous trepidation.
Gathering her courage, Christene reminded herself that this was, after
all, her old friend. There was no reason at all to be afraid of being with
her. She moved deeper into the room, reclining lazily on her side at the
end of the bed.
Elisabeth looked over her friend with a broadening smile. "Comfy, Shorty?"
Christene laughed under her breath. "As a matter of fact, the bed is a
little lumpy for my standards and the atmosphere is. . ." She trailed off
to listen to the sound of her friend's laughter filling the room.
"God, I've missed you making me laugh!" Elisabeth reached out to give
Christene's hand a tender squeeze. Her gaze was returned by the girl
sitting across from her on the bed before she forced her eyes quickly to
look away.
Christene arched her eyebrow as she noticed the avoidance of her eyes. It
was not long before she felt the warm hand holding hers slipping away from
her touch. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Elisabeth mumbled.
"You're lying."
Elisabeth looked up with hurt eyes to her friend. She began to protest,
but her voice had abandoned her, leaving her speechless.
Christene sat up and moved to sit directly in front of her friend. She
could see the teenager attempting to withdraw deep inside herself. "Come
on, Lanky. It's, me."
The tears filling hazel-green eyes wounded her heart. Christene smoothed a
lock of black hair behind her friend's ear. "What's wrong, Love? Let me
help."
Elisabeth lurched forward, wrapping her arms around Christene's neck while
she cried helplessly. She confided on a tear-stained shoulder that she had
recently been forced to end things with her boyfriend in a way that had
left her doubting that she would ever truly find a loving relationship with
anyone capable of really loving her for whom she was.
"I was going through my old scrapbook," Elisabeth sniffled, the tears
still running hotly from her eyes. "I just wanted to throw away every
picture I had of him and then, I found a few of us." She huffed a laugh
through her sobs. "Do you remember that goofy picture of us in front of
some pool?" Taking a moment, she tried to recall the seemingly lost memory.
Christene kissed over her shaken friend's long hair. Her nails scratched
lightly along a long back, calming tattered nerves. "The one where we are
standing in front of the wave pool with third degree burns?" she joked
softly.
Elisabeth laughed despite herself. "You remembered."
"Of course, I do." Christene looked down at the young woman in her
arms. "It isn't easy to forget skin THAT red. I haven't seen anything that
color since that time that our parents insisted on cooking that
lobster. You remember?"
"Oh my god," Elisabeth chuckled in remembrance. "I nearly forgot about
that! I was so happy that they let us pick the lobster out and then you
screamed like a banshee, when they took it out of the pot."
Christene felt her cheeks flush while she giggled. "Hey, I thought that
thing was a new pet! It was a really ugly pet, but still- "
"You were so cute." Elisabeth lightly granted a kiss to the arms which
encircled her with a happy sigh. After a moment of being lost in happier
memories, she snuggled closer to her friend. "How do you always do that?"
"Do what?" Christene asked feigning innocence. She was well aware of the
fact that her friend was no longer crying.
Elisabeth poked her best friend's side feeling the young woman squirm
beneath her. "Oh, don't you play innocent with ME, Shorty. I can see
straight through that angel act of yours."
"Act?!" Christene backed away to look into hazel eyes with a wounded
expression, although it did not last long. A smirk soon curled her lips,
showing her true feelings. "Can you not see the halo above my head?!"
The hand lightly smoothing her cheek caused Christene's breath to
tremble. She quickly darted a kiss to a warm palm before taking the hand in
hers and holding it lovingly.
"You always make me feel so much better," Elisabeth said. "When I saw
those old pictures of us, all I could think about was wanting to see you
again."
"And this all started about a month ago, right?"
Elisabeth frowned curiously. "I didn't say. How did you know?"
Christene shrugged. "You've been in my thoughts a lot, lately. When I
found out that you were coming back, it, kind of freaked me out."
The smile that had been melting Christene's heart returned with new
brilliance.
"You always know when I need you," Elisabeth admitted softly.
Christene blushed before attempting to look away. There was a tug by the
hand intertwined with hers in the hopes that she might stop turning away.
"Aw, you still do that!" Elisabeth leaned forward, trying to look over her
friend's shoulder to see the retreating figure. "Lemme see!"
The small birthmark which always appeared whenever her face flushed
intensified with the burning in her cheeks. Christene laughed as her free
hand snaked upward to cover her forehead. "Let go of me, Lanky!"she yelled
joyfully.
"No!" Elisabeth used the advantage of her height to pin the smaller teen
to the bed. "Lemme see!"
"No!" Christene stubbornly held her hand in place despite her friend's
pulling and tugging at her arm. She laughed at the hands tickling her
sides. "That's not fair! You're cheating, now!"
"Oh, quit being a baby! I play to win and you know it!" Elisabeth moved
atop her best friend straddling the younger teen's hips.
Christene screamed at the new barrage of torture, both the hands tickling
her body and the blissful feel of Elisabeth pressed against her. "Get off
me, you, harpy!"
After much struggling, Elisabeth finally managed to pry Christene's hand
from its position against her forehead and pinned the woman's wrists to the
bed on either side of her head. "HAH! Gotcha!"
"You know," Christene joked breathlessly. "Usually, when a girl says, no,
it is supposed to mean something."
"Yeah." Elisabeth smiled. "It just means that you want it more," she said,
doing her best impression of a horny teenage boy. "Come on, baby. You know
you want it."
"You are SO stupid," Christene chuckled. "Get off me!"
Elisabeth released one of her friend's wrists in order to trace her
fingers lightly over the small flame just between her friend's
eyebrows. She smiled thoughtfully as she remembered the story behind it.
When Christene had been born, she had cried as all babies do. It was then
that the doctor had noticed the tiny birthmark, which he had commented on,
saying that it was similar in shape to the state of Texas which later
proved to be wonderful observation considering that it went with
Christene's personality perfectly. Elisabeth didn't know anyone with as
much of a southern accent as her best friend.
Christene tilted her head to look at Elisabeth more clearly. The
expression on her friend's face had changed, somehow, as her fingertips
charted over her face and now along her jaw. "Lank?"
"I've needed you so much and now here you are." Elisabeth smiled softly
before stooping down to kiss Christene's forehead.
Raising up on her elbows, Christene stared deeply into hazel eyes. "Is
there something else on your mind, love?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"I just have the feeling that there is more... There is something that you
aren't saying to me."
Elisabeth tensed even as she tried to keep up the facade of being
completely at ease. "Oh, you and your silly intuitions. There is nothing
going on with me. You are seeing something that isn't there."
Christene arched her eyebrow. That was twice. In the last few minutes,
Elisabeth had lied to her more than she had in their entire
friendship. "And you are lying to me, again." This time, she was certain
that she felt the body atop hers tense terribly. "That's alright, though,
because by the time this evening is over, you won't have any secrets from
me."
That little declaration sent a thrill of exhilaration coursing through her
entire body. Elisabeth narrowed her eyes on her friend who stared at her
with much too much confidence in her eyes. "Since when did you become so
cocky?"
"Who's being cocky? I'm just telling you the truth which is what I've
always done." Christene sat up placing herself at eye level with
Elisabeth. "By tonight, you will remember that you don't have to have any
walls with me." She leaned forward, granting a light kiss to the girl's
chin. Her hips arched upward, trying to lift off the bed in a silent motion
for Elisabeth to move. "Now, get off me. You aren't light."
A gasp left Elisabeth's lips, although she pretended that it came from her
younger friend's comment regarding her weight and not the feel of
Christene's hips grinding into her. She crawled off her friend, standing in
front of her. Anxious to feel a connection with Christene again, she
offered her hand to help the teen stand. The hand in hers felt like a
homecoming as she pulled the smaller teen into her with a bit more strength
than she knew it would actually take to assist the girl in standing.
Christene lost her balance stumbling forward into Elisabeth. She felt her
body crush against Elisabeth's. The feel of her hand being sandwiched
between her chest and her friend's soft cushion of breasts made her
breathing quicken.
The knock at the door put an end to the connection being made between the
two young women.
"Hey, girls," Maria said. She smiled, entering the room. Moving her
daughter to the side, she took Elisabeth into her arms. "Quit monopolizing
all Beth's time, Mija," she joked to her daughter with a wink.
Christene laughed as she made her way to the door. "Oh, you can have her
now, mom. I'm tired of playing with her anyway."
"Is that what you were doing?" Elisabeth asked placing her hand on her hip
while Maria looked from each teen to the other in the odd feeling that
there was more to this conversation than she was seeing. Laughter left her
lips as she watched her friend batting her eyelashes while pretending to
play some imaginary harp.
Maria rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, God!" She lifted the hem of her
long skirt by a few inches. "Careful, now, Beth. It just got really deep in
here."
Elisabeth placed her arm around Maria's shoulder while laughing, once
more. She winked at her best friend, who was pretending to be shot through
the heart with that last comment.
Christene clutched her chest. "Ugh, et tu, Brute!"
Maria shook her head with a chuckle as she walked by her child. "Come on,
smartass."
"Hmpf, why does everyone keep calling me that, today?" Christene pointed
above her head. "Halo. Remember?"
Pinching her daughter's cheek with a sarcastic smile, Maria said, "Yes, I
remember, Mija. I also know what is holding up that halo."
"Horns," Elisabeth and Maria said in unison. The mischievous smirk that
they received in response to their words did not exactly settle well with
them.
Maria led the way back into the living room where Gloria and Antonio
seemed to be preparing to leave.
"What's up?" Elisabeth asked curiously as her father placed his car keys
inside his pocket.
"Well," Antonio started. "We are going with Maria to get a drink and maybe
some dinner. We have tons of catching up to do! Do you two want to come
with us or- "
"No!" Elisabeth interrupted suddenly. She blushed hotly with all the eyes
looking to her curiously. "I mean, no, y'all have fun. Shorty and I will be
fine."
Antonio frowned in confusion. "Okkaayyy..." Honestly, his daughter could
act so jumpy and downright weird sometimes. He teased, "Now, I don't need
to tell you two to be good. Do I?"
Christene took a seat on the couch then moved her hand to lightly scratch
at the nape of her friend's neck after Elisabeth had taken a seat near her
feet.
"We'll be good," Elisabeth promised, feeling a wonderful excitement fill
her at the thought of being alone with Christene for possibly several
hours. She shot a quick look over to her best friend. "Won't we?"
Looking at Gloria, Christene smiled. "Yes, ma'am. We'll be good."
Gloria smiled warmly at the young woman that she could not love more if
she were her own child. "How respectful she is." When the smile that she
found herself on the receiving end of intensified, her heart melted. "Oh,
you two have fun then. I trust you."
"Well, you may trust that smile, Glory but I don't," Maria
smirked. "Christie is a devil with an angel's smile. Telling her to behave
is like... It's just a waste of breath. This girl is hopeless. I mean, if
you tell her she can't do something. It just makes her want to do it more!"
"So in other words," Antonio chuckled. "She's just like you!"
Gloria laughed as her best friend blushed. She turned to look at
Christene, who merely dipped her head in recognition of the comment.
"So tell me, little one," Antonio asked Christene. "Why do YOU think you
have such a strange outlook on the word, 'no.' "
"Well as far as I can guess, it's in my genes," Christene explained
evenly.
Maria blushed to a few shades darker. "Alright, I get that y'all think I
have an authority problem so could we please stop talking about my wilder
days? I've settled down." She giggled at the eyes looking at her. "What?! I
have!"
"I don't think that is exactly what she meant by her genes, Maria,"
Antonio smiled.
"Then, what was she talking about, Tonio," Gloria asked. Her expression
seemed to be playfully teasing her husband's all-knowing manner.
"I'm just doing my part as a descendant of Eve," Christene chuckled.
The adults in the room frowned in confusion looking from one to the other
in the hopes that someone else might know what she had been referring
to. It was Elisabeth, who finally spoke up.
"Forbidden fruit, guys."
Elisabeth snaked her hand around the leg nearest to her. She rested her
hand on the inner of Christene's knee. Her thumb idly traced, along the
jean-clad leg exciting both herself and her best friend. She braved to look
up at Christene, who continued to scratch lightly over her neck and
occasionally moved upward to run her fingers through long black hair.
Antonio placed his hands over his ears. "I do not need to hear this right
before I leave y'all alone in my house," he joked. "I'm getting out of here
before I change my mind."
Rising to her feet, Elisabeth ushered her parents and godmother out of the
house. The smile that played across her lips would not be denied as she
closed the door behind them. She leaned back against the door turning the
deadbolt while she studied the young teenager leaning against the frame of
the living room entryway with crossed arms. The sound of the lock clicking
made her heart jump. They were alone now.
Elisabeth pushed playfully off the door, walking past her friend, with a
seductive brush. "Now, what would you like to do?"
Christene's brown eyes followed the retreating form of her friend and the
dangerous sway of her hips as she walked. There was no denying that she was
attracted to Elisabeth. The only problem was, what was she going to do
about it? She opted to continue their flirtations until she felt the need
to do otherwise.
"I can think of a few things," Christene smiled.
Stopping, Elisabeth looked toward her best friend. She tilted her head
while running her fingers enticingly through her long hair. She wondered
what the hell she was doing. She hadn't done anything like this since her
boyfriend and now here she was flirting shamelessly with one of her
childhood friends and this was not just any friend, this was one of her
girlfriends. "Oo, like what?" she found herself asking coyly.
Christene just shrugged in her mischievousness. "I don't know, lovely. I'm
the guest. You're my hostess for the evening. Isn't it your job to
entertain me?"
"Oo, you are going to get me in trouble, I just know it."
Giving her best friend a wink, Christene moved to join Elisabeth. "Oh, you
love me and you know it."
Elisabeth blushed before looking away. "Maybe a little." The finger poking
at her side made her laugh despite herself. She screamed and struggled to
get free, but Christene had her arms around her waist hugging her from
behind. The kiss to her shoulder made her shiver in excitement.
"Just a little?" Christene, asked resting her head against Elisabeth's
back.
The older teen sighed inside the embrace. "Okay, Shorty. More than just a
little."
"Good, girl."
"God, you are so smug!" Elisabeth laughed even as she brought a soft hand
to her lips for a gentle kiss.
"Snug?" Christene pretended to gasp with a look of shook on her face. "Oh,
but how would you know? I don't go that far on the first date!"
Elisabeth's cheeks burned fiercely with the thoughts that those words
inspired. The desire to be with Christene brought her lust to noticeable
levels within her hazel-green eyes. Her eyes on her best friend caused the
young woman to stop all movement and return the stare.
Christene's smile intensified. "Yes?"
Shaking herself out of such erotic thoughts, Elisabeth shook her
head. "Nothing."
A soft laugh came out of Christene. "Okay," she said, squeezing her
friend, tightly. "I was just teasing your nips. I'll behave, now."
Elisabeth felt her nipples straining against the fabric of her bra at the
sheer thought of Christene teasing them. The arms withdrawing from her
waist made her almost sad. She found herself missing them and wishing that
she was inside of them once more.
"How about we find something to eat?," Christene suggested, as she walked
toward the kitchen.
The sixteen-year-old cursed under her breath at the opportunity which she
had wasted. She followed Christene into the kitchen noticing that her
friend's flirtatious behavior had lessened just a bit in the hopes of
making her more comfortable. The problem with that was that she had enjoyed
Christene's flirting. It had also scared her, but the enjoyment caused by
it far outweighed the fear.
"Did you want to order a pizza?" Elisabeth muttered.
Christene looked to the young woman beside her with a frown of
confusion. Was Elisabeth pouting? "We are big girls, Lanky. We can cook for
ourselves."
Elisabeth raised her hands, using her index fingers to form a cross. "Get
back, evil Witch!"
Laughing, Christene placed her hands on her hips. "What did I say?"
"You said you wanted me to... to... it's too horrible. I can't say it!"
"Cook," Christene repeated. "I want you to help me make dinner."
"Shorty, you know that I would help you go through hell and back, but I
don't... COOK." Elisabeth added, "Ever."
"CAN you cook?"
"Sure! Of course, I can cook!" Elisabeth squirmed under the brown eyes
focused on her. "IF you consider buttering bread and operating speed-dial
to be cooking."
Christene shook her head with a smile. "You know that is sad. Right?"
Elisabeth wrapped her arms around Christene's neck. "That's what you are
here for, babe. You're here to take care of me."
"Oh, is that why I'm here?" Christene teased. "I was beginning to wonder."
Leaning forward, Elisabeth rested her bronzed cheek against her friend's
with a contented sigh. "Don't tease me, Shorty. You know why you are here."
"Do I?"
"Yes." Elisabeth blushed again. For the hundredth time this evening, her
inner voice reminded her. "You're here because I needed you. I needed my
best friend." She felt Christene smiling against her cheek. Lips moved to
her ear, causing her to hold her breath nervously.
"I know. I just love hearing you say it," Christene whispered before
giving the shell-like ear a gentle kiss.
Backing away, Christene motioned for Elisabeth to move aside. "Get out of
the way, Jolly Green. I've got to cook something for you before you waste
away."
Elisabeth chuckled softly. "I'm not THAT skinny," she said, looking down
at her slender build. The soft huffed laugh that left her friend's lips
made her smile. She reached out for her friend with a kind hand. Her
fingers lightly massaged, over the young athletic body beside her. She
sighed softly in contentedness while watching her friend set about cooking
dinner for them. It suddenly occurred to her that this felt right to have
Christene here with her.
"I'll be back soon," Elisabeth promised.
Christene stopped her preparation of dinner long enough to acknowledge her
friend's words with an absent nod. It was not until some thirty minutes
later that she began to worry about her friend. "Babe," she called over her
shoulder. "Are you alright? Where'd ya go?"
The sound of heels on the floor alerted her that Elisabeth was coming. It
was not long before she felt her beautiful best friend hugging her
shoulders and resting her temple to hers.
"Mm, what smells good?" Elisabeth asked looking over the food which she
thought that she might never have been able to cook.
Christene kissed the arms holding her. "You do. Is that perfume?"
Elisabeth blushed. "Yes," she admitted in a mumble. She withdrew from her
friend wondering if she had grossly erred in judgement.
The hot Texas summer accompanied by the flirting with her attractive best
friend made Elisabeth need to suddenly take a dip in her pool to cool her
fevered skin. Well, a swim in the pool would have been what she would have
done, if she were still in her California home, but here her only option
was the shower.
Motioning to the dining room, Christene smiled. She took in the new, but
subtle changes that Elisabeth had made to her appearance. The perfume
placed strategically over Elisabeth's pulse points was only the first of
many changes. The second change that commanded Christene's attention was
the new pale yellow skirt. It was slightly shorter than the previous skirt
although so similar in color that one could easily have overlooked the
change. The sleeveless white shirt buttoning down the front was different
from the other tank top, much more delicate in appearance. It also did not
go unnoticed that the buttons remained open dangerously low. The
high-heeled sandals were also a nice touch, adding to the statuesque teen's
height. All in all, Elisabeth looked tremendously beautiful in her opinion.
The sudden worrisome expression on her friend's face allowed her to
realize just how unsure Elisabeth was of what they were doing. What are we
doing, Christene asked, herself. There was no harm in them having dinner
and spending the evening together. They used to do things like that all the
time. Sure, their parents were usually in the next room and not out,
leaving them completely alone together, but why should that matter? Why
should the fact, that Elisabeth had showered, changed clothes and applied
makeup and perfume, suddenly make her heart race the way it was now? It
shouldn't. Right?
"Do you need me to help with anything?" Elisabeth asked hoping to take the
attention off of her.
"No, love." Christene took out the plates to begin serving their
dinner. "You just have to enjoy the meal. That's all." She couldn't help
but, add, "And maybe my company."
Elisabeth sighed at the thought of being with Christene. "Well, C, that
last bit is a given." She left the kitchen, granting a quick kiss to her
friend's temple in passing. "I told you, I'm glad you're here."
Elisabeth did not have to wait long before Christene came into the dining
room with a plate of pasta for each of them. She was actually quite
surprised by the fact, that the table had been set with a salad, bread, and
the chilled water was waiting for her. "Now, I know that you have to move
in with me." She chuckled. "I mean it! I am never letting you go!"
"So the truth comes out, huh." Christene set Elisabeth's plate in front of
her and kissed her forehead. "You're just using me, then."
The taller teen looked across to the young woman seated opposite. She
watched as Christene took her long hair down to massage her temples for a
moment and just relax out of the sometimes restricting hair clip. Her
staring eyes had been caught as she witnessed Christene beginning to blush.
"What?" Christene asked wondering why Elisabeth was staring at her that
way.
"Uh, nothing," Elisabeth mumbled. She looked down to her plate then placed
her napkin upon the table. "Ya know, it's kinda quiet. How about some
music?"
"That would be nice." Christene followed Elisabeth with her eyes. She
watched as Elisabeth disappeared only to return with a broadening smile
upon her face. "Why do you look like the cat, who just ate the canary?"
There was a brief pause before a familiar sound floated into dining room
causing Christene's brown eyes to brighten. "You remembered!"
Elisabeth laughed, taking her seat. "Of course, I do. You were the only
kid I knew, who would melt every time she heard Nat King Cole sing."
Christene gave a dreamy sigh as she listened to the music. "There is just
something about his music..." Her eyes were met by hazel-green orbs. "Isn't
this song just the most wonderful song in the world?"
"You say that about all this old music," Elisabeth teased as she ate her
dinner.
"No, I mean it." Christene smiled happily. " 'I love you for sentimental
reasons,' is such a sweet line."
"You were born in the wrong time, Shorty." Elisabeth beamed in the wise
selection that she had made. She had known what type of mood this would
inspire in her friend. If there was one thing about Christene, it was that
the girl could be a hopeless romantic. Even as a child, she had done these
remarkably sweet things for her.
"Old soul, I guess."
"You believe in that sort of thing?" Elisabeth asked curiously.
"More and more each day. I'm still learning about it." Christene paused in
thought. As was usually the cause, whenever she was uncomfortable, she made
a joke out of the situation. "God, mom, would freak, if she thought I
believed in reincarnation."
"Not to mention your grandmother!"
Christene flinched. "Yeah, her too." Her friend's laughter caused her to
return from her thoughts. "What?"
Elisabeth pointed toward her friend's ear. "You're upset."
"What?"
"When you are nervous or upset, you tug at your earlobe."
"I do no- " Christene suddenly realized where her left hand was. She
immediately stopped pulling at her earlobe. The smirk upon her best
friend's face caused her to laugh. "Quiet, smarty. And don't think that I
haven't noticed that you haven't eaten your salad."
Elisabeth poked her fork at the leafy substance in her bowl. "You mean
this green stuff?" She looked over to see Christene nodding. "I can EAT
this stuff. It isn't like decoration or something?"
Christene sighed and rolled her eyes. She dipped her fork into her salad
bowl then offered a bite to her best friend. The crinkled nose of her
friend was met by her arching eyebrow. "Be a good girl, love."
Elisabeth sighed happily before accepting the morsel of food. She chewed
preparing for the worst then began to smile. "This stuff isn't bad."
"Someone, call the media!" Christene teased. "Beth liked a vegetable!"
Nibbling at her salad, Elisabeth raised her middle finger in reply to her
friend's antics.
Christene gave a sarcastic gasp. "Well, that's no way for a southern belle
to behave!"
Dinner went very well in all respects. The conversation covered everything
from the boyfriend, who had been caught in his cheating ways to Christene's
track and field career. After sitting at the dinner table talking for some
time, they finally decided to clean up and enjoy a bit of a movie.
Tidying up actually proved to make more of a mess as the two young women
found ways to play in the midst of the task. Christene had done her share
of light brushes and lighthearted nudges while Elisabeth had used her
position near the water faucet to spray her poor friend with water.
Christene stared down at her white t-shirt, now the color of her skin
which was apparent beneath it and molded to her busty form. Her jaw dropped
in the realization that very little was left to the imagination. Her bra in
all its lacy detail was clearly visible. She looked up to her best friend,
who was entirely too proud of herself.
"Oh, you are SO dead," Christene huffed with a smirk.
Elisabeth took one last long look over her friend's form before reacting
to those words. She pretended to shake sarcastically. "Oo, what are you
gonna do? Drip on me?"
Arching her eyebrow, Christene smiled. "As a matter of fact, I am."
Throwing up her hands, Elisabeth tried to put distance between the younger
teen and herself. "Alright, now, Shorty. You know that I was only
playing. I didn't mean to get you all wet. I just... I just..." She didn't
have time to finish her sentence. Instead, she turned and ran.
"Come back, here, coward!" Christene laughed. She drenched a washrag under
the faucet's flow of lukewarm water before racing after her friend.
Christene caught up with the fleeing gazelle inside the living room. She
had the laughing beauty cornered with only the low-lying coffee table to
separate them.
"Now, I didn't mean it, Babe," Elisabeth protested. She searched the room
for some way of escape. Unfortunately, she was cornered. The couch was at
her back forming a right angle along the corner of the room. "Look, I'll
let you borrow one of my shirts. Okay?" She offered a smile. "How's that
sound?"
"Judges?" Christene paused before making a loud buzzer sound. "Sorry,
wrong answer. Your penalty is death by water torture!"
Elisabeth squealed loudly as the figure of her best friend hoped over the
coffee table and tackled her against the cushiony couch. She felt their
bodies sinking into the deep Bordeaux-shaded cushions while Christene
pressed down on her. The teen straddling her hips caused her breathing to
quicken. She threw her hands up in the hopes of protecting herself, but it
was in vain. A scream, despite her near hysterical laughter, left her lips
as she felt the results of her friend wringing the washrag over her chest.
Christene sat back and looked down on the young woman beneath her with a
victorious smile across her face.
"Happy, now?" Elisabeth asked raising up on her elbows.
"Actually," Christene answered. "I am." She flashed her most brilliant
smile. "You look good in a wet t-shirt."
Elisabeth felt her nipples jut against the fabric of her bra in response
to the cool water and Christene's words. Her cheeks also darkened as a
result. She pushed her friend off of her with a smirk. "Get off me, you,
miserable little bitch!"
Christene giggled as she fell off the young woman, landing on her side
next to Elisabeth. "But we didn't even cuddle, baby."
With that, Elisabeth removed the cushion from behind her back. "Shut up!"
She began beating her smaller friend with it, who only laughed at her.
"You hit like a girl, Lanky!"
Beating Christene about the head with the pillow with more incentive,
Elisabeth giggled. "In case you haven't noticed, SHORTY, I am a girl!" She
emphasized each word with a smack from the cushion.
"Oh, I noticed," Christene laughed, doing her best to protect her head. "I
mean, look at that t-shirt!" She whistled loudly.
"Shut up, Christie!"
Elisabeth gave her friend one last wack of the pillow before letting out a
deep breath and collapsing alongside her friend. She tucked her legs close
to her body and rested her head against Christene's shoulder, feeling the
damp fabric touch her cheek.
Christene ran her fingers through her long hair before looking down on the
young woman relaxing against her. "Oh, sure, NOW you want to cuddle."
Moving her fingers to her best friend's side, Elisabeth tickled
mercilessly, going for the proverbial jugular, knowing exactly how to
tickle her old friend in order to produce the most powerful result. She
felt Christene squirm and struggle to capture her wrist in the hopes that
the retaliation would stop. Lifting her head, she stopped her tickling
attack and kissed Christene's ear. "Truce?"
"Well since you asked me that way," Christene kissed silky black hair.
Elisabeth sighed at the feel of soft lips brushing over her head. Her
wrist was still being held in Christene's hand. While her fingers were
still positioned at her friend's side, they were not tickling so much as
they were caressing and charting the slope of her friend's side. She felt
her excitement building with this new closeness. She knew that she would
have to think of a way to keep them together like this or it would not last
long.
To be continued...